AVS AGM PVS-7 gen 3 - worth getting, downsides, etc.

Tactical Gear Optics & Mounts
1

Good day!

I have an opportunity to snag a set of the above at what seems like a decent price, but this would be my first foray into anything NV related, and I have no idea if these are worth it, what kind of problems to look out for, what the value actually is, if they are a set I would even want to own/use, etc.

I guess my first set of questions are:

Do I want to own these? The single center lens seems like it it would be nice and give depth perception, but also that it would mandate laser and likely IR light for practical use?
Also, no aiming with standard dot or any sights, have to rely on laser only?

Second - are they worth buying used, what sort of problems or life span should one expect, where can I get repairs if needed, etc.

NV has not really been something I have looked at or wanted, but I am not too far out from moving to a new property with some acreage, limited lights, and wouldnt mind dipping my toes in, either.

Thanks for any info you can provide, even if it is “dont waste your time or money on this junk”, or whatever it may be.

Matt

2

The answer will all depend on what you consider a “decent price”.
PVS-7’s can be a useful tool for the right price (better than nothing I suppose), but as older tech they are very limiting compared to their contemporary counterparts.

3

It would have to me a real good price for me to consider, if trying to keep price down you’re better of with a PVS-14.

4

Thanks for the thoughts!

The price is about $2k. Includes the PVS 7, soft case, 3x lens and soft case for that, a head mount (not a helmet mount), and the instruction set.

A PVS-14 is all I have really looked at before, mostly just based on reading through previous threads here. Im not hung up on getting a NV setup any time soon, I figured I would probably end up with a PVS 14 over the next 1-3 years though.

BTW - thanks for the NV links thread, titsonritz. I asked this morning and then had to go do some work outside, came back in and sat down to go back over some of those older threads. Makes me firm up on the 14s, and just wait until I am ready to commit fully vs playing around with something I will ultimately be disappointed in and want to upgrade anyways.

Again, appreciate it gentlemen!

5

You’re very welcome, I’m glad to see people using it.

6

I hate 7s. They give me bad vertigo, nothing else does. I’d either not spend the money or find the extra $1k for a PVS-14.

7

$2K for a PVS7 that’s not brand new with long warranty, hard pass.
$2K for ANY PVS7 in my opinion- hard pass

Your not far in price from a NEW PVS14 with an actual warranty, white phosphor not green. Going to be a helluva lot more versatile than a 7. And of course with an actual data sheet showing the tube’s pedigree versus a complete unknown.

Give us a call. We are running some crazy holiday specials for Night vision. We have some lower FOM level White Phosphor PVS14s as low as $2700 for the mid grade SLH grade tube.

912.375.1480
912.379.9441

www.jrhenterprises.com

8

I have a question regarding your products, as someone who has been using 31’s for the past few years and then pvs14’s before that. How do WP 14’s compare? Granted all the nods I’ve used have been issued so they’ve been used and abused. How does the image from brand new ones compare?

9

Every NV tube is different, this is why it’s important to get (and KEEP) your data sheet for your unit/tube. It’s like the pedigree for a high dollar dog, it proves it’s origin, how it performs, etc.

Kind of “proving it’s worth” also in a way.

That being said, without knowing actual specs on the other units, we can just guess how these would compare. Please keep in mind these are just estimations-

So let’s say the “then PVS14s before that” statement refers to a green phosphor PVS14, again unknown origin, if you have a TIME PERIOD you are talking about that would help also.

The White Phosphor alone is going to give the impression of more brightness and clarity, even if by chance you had a green tube and a white tube that had very similar specifications.

OVERALL, we see much higher specifications currently in White Phosphor tubes versus green phosphor. This coupled with the fact that hardly anyone orders green phosphor any more, led us to stop ordering green phosphor tubes. We would get in 50 tubes of green, 50 of white and the white would sell out meanwhile 45 of the 50 greens would still be sitting there. Also, the whites ended up with higher OVERALL specifications, which means more performance, which means happier customers :slight_smile:

We offer a couple varieties in White Phosphor tube PVS14s-

PVS14 WP3 that utilizes the MID GRADE Elbit Systems of America (formerly ITT) SLH grade of thin film tubes. Don’t let the price confuse you, these are NOT the “bottom of the barrel” xls grade of tubes. The SLH mid grade tubes are big step up from the xls tubes which can have a ton of blems, numbers all out of whack, etc. The WP3s with SLH mid grade tubes offer the best bang for the buck in WP and currently on sale stupid cheap for the holidays.

PVS14 WP3 High grade models utilize the VH and YH Elbit Systems of America tubes. These are the highest commonly available grade of thin film tubes Elbit makes. These will in general be slightly cleaner and have a little better OVERALL specification numbers than the mid grade SLH tube units above. In a batch of 50 tubes, we sell usually 48 or so of them coming in at 2200 FOM or higher, so we rarely get a lot of 1900-2200 FOM models of these.

PVS14 WP3 UF features an Un Filmed or “filmless” L3 Harris White Phosphor 20UM grade tube. Most places sell the 18um lower grade tubes, we noticed the 20UM higher grade L3 tubes were coming out much cleaner and better numbers than the 18um so we only order 20UM now. Like the Elbit “high grade” systems, we normally just see 2200 FOM and higher performing tubes in this class as well.

Now on to your compare to a 31 question.
PVS31s are DUAL TUBE sets, so different than a PVS14 which is a monocular. If you know actual specs from the data sheet on the 31s, I could give you a better idea about comparing.

For dual tube sets, we have the New Katana articulating bino sets with high grade YH White phosphor tubes in stock and shipping out quickly.

10

I doubt our nods tech’s could ever give a data sheet.
I’ve been using 31’s since 2020. I know duals are better than a monocular but I guess what I’m asking is would a WP 14 be a significant upgrade in terms of performance out of a monocular?

Can you tell me more about the katana? Are those the light weight 3D printed housings?

11

If you’re Army, then I think it’s a 99% chance they could not. That’d be a fielding/supply thing at best but I believe there’s just a minimum that they all have to be and that’s all that matters so no specs ever come with them.

I was researching heavily a few months ago and was set on commercial 31s before doing so since I’d used them at work some. I got pointed towards the DTNVS as a bit better supposedly, I think the main selling point was more durable.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

12

Coming from green phosphor to White phosphor is pretty much always going to be looked at as an upgrade.

I would look at either the WP3 High grade or a WP3UF Un Filmed White Phosphor for best specifications and most performance.

The Katanas are one of the few made in America articulating bino housings and the only one I’m aware of with a Lifetime warranty on the housing.

Smaller and lighter weight than a BNVD, uses a Lemo port that accepts the ANVIS battery pack which is more commonly available and less expensive than other battery packs.

I’ve been running a Katana for about a year now and have been very happy with them.

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The biggest advantage to these is they are in stock, no 20+ week wait on these now.

13

The dtnvs isn’t without issues, most commonly it’s the “the builder had to clip (or “shave” LOL) the light pipe to make it fit” non sense. Sometimes this works, sometimes this doesn’t and you end up with a little view of part of the light pipe in your view, as well as pod failure issues, etc. 2 year warranty on the dtnvs housing, made overseas.